Wish Upon A Cloud

When I wake up tomorrow; I hope to see a tree behind every tree. Like it once was in Randolph County; when it was a tolerable place to be.

Roaring Creek WV and Kettle Creek PA

Roaring Creek

A few years ago, I was watching TU TV and there was a very interesting story about the Kettle Creek Watershed area.  They were discussing a passive restoration system being used to combat acid mine drainage problems in the watershed.  The work was being done on Middle Branch, a tributary of Twomile Run in northwestern Clinton County, PA.  The Kettle Creek watershed and the Roaring Creek watershed in Randolph County, WV are very similar.  They were both reasonably healthy in the headwaters and had a population of brook trout present.  Both watersheds were ravaged by abandoned mine drainage in the lower sections.
I just received the Winter issue of TROUT, the quarterly publication of Trout Unlimited. I am happy to report that after 13 years of work from dedicated volunteers that brook trout have returned the Middle Branch.  Brook Trout are once again naturally reproducing in the stream and benthic populations have increased.
Two years of preliminary data collection has been done on the Roaring Creek watershed.  The paperwork is done and now we can all hope that Roaring Creek can mirror the success of Pennsylvania's Kettle Creek.

Randolph County/Elkins Area Christmas Bird Count

ELKINS AREA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT SLATED FOR JANUARY 3, 2011




Local bird enthusiasts will take to the roads and woods during the 29th annual Elkins Area Christmas Bird Count on January 3rd, 2011. This event gives birders a chance to get together and have a good time while gathering information on bird diversity and abundance in the area. Participants will meet at 8:00 am at the Division of Natural Resources Operations Center on Ward Road in Elkins. Both novice and experienced bird watchers are invited to take part.



The Elkins area bird count is just one of hundreds of Christmas Bird Counts that occur around the country this time of year. The aim is to tally all birds observed within a 7.5 mile radius of a given point. Over time, these annual counts can reveal trends in populations of various avian species.



On the morning of January 3rd, birders will be grouped into teams of 2-3 observers, and assigned specific routes to survey. If you live in or near Elkins, you can participate by just tallying the birds in your yard by species and reporting that information.



Anyone interested in participating in this year's Christmas Bird Count should contact Jim Fregonara jimfregonara@wvdnr.gov or Craig Stihler craigstihler@wvdnr.gov or phone the WVDNR at 304-637-0245 for more information.

West Virginia Buck Season Harvest

This is the latest report from the WVDNR:  It just shows you what happens when baiting is allowed. Mast Failure + Uncontrolled Timber Harvest + Baiting = A Massacre On The Corn Piles = OverKill.  How are they going to make money from all of the non-resident licenses now? You Reap What You Sow.

Earl Ray Tomblin, Governor


Frank Jezioro, Director

News Release: December 13, 2010

Hoy Murphy, Public Information Officer (304) 558-2003 ext. 365 hoy.r.murphy@wv.gov

Contact:

Curtis Taylor, Wildlife Resources Section 304-558-2771 dnr.wildlife@wv.gov





Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 43,226 Bucks during the Buck Firearms Season SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Preliminary data collected from game checking stations across the state indicate deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 43,226 bucks during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov. 22 through Dec. 4, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR). The 2010 buck harvest was 31 percent less than the 2009 harvest of 62,986. The top ten counties for buck harvest were as follows: Preston (2,030), Randolph (1,817), Hardy (1,350), Greenbrier (1,348), Mason (1,264), Hampshire (1,261), Ritchie (1,236), Jackson (1,216), Lewis (1,141) and Wood (1,113).

This year’s buck harvest is significantly lower than last year, with declines occurring across all DNR Districts. The largest percent decreases occurred in the western and central counties of the state. The harvest was 30th among all recorded antlered buck firearm seasons. Overall, 14 counties were above or within one buck harvested per square of the harvest objective and 37 counties were one or more bucks per square mile below the harvest objective.

White-tailed deer are a product of the environment. Too many deer on a given tract of land will result in loss of body weight, reduction in antler development, decrease in reproduction and sometimes death due to starvation during winter months. The cumulative effects of too many deer over time causes a decline in herd condition, which actually reduces the deer herd’s resiliency to years of poor mast conditions and harsh winter weather. The below-average acorn crops in 2008 and 2009 (acorn mast in 2009 was the lowest in 40 years) and last year’s unusually severe winter had a significant impact on the deer population and the overall 2010 buck firearms season harvest. Fortunately, 2010 has been a banner year for mast and overall, deer are in good physical condition entering the winter months.

Wildlife Biologists will analyze data from the combined 2010 deer seasons (i.e., buck, antlerless, archery and muzzleloader) before making appropriate recommendations for next year’s deer seasons. These recommendations will be available for public review at 12 regulations meetings scheduled for March 14 and 15, 2011 (see current 2010 - 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary page 5 or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for scheduled times and places).

Director Jezioro reminds hunters that the traditional six-day antlerless deer season in selected counties on both public and private land ends Saturday, December 11. Muzzleloader deer season begins Dec. 13 and runs through Dec. 18. The Youth and Class Q/QQ antlerless deer season will be open on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28 in any county with a firearms deer season, and will be followed by a three-day reopening of antlerless deer season (Dec. 29 - 31) in 46 counties or portions of counties (see 2010 - 2011 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Summary or visit the DNR website at www.wvdnr.gov for county and area listings).

[Editors: Please see attached table with West Virginia’s buck harvest statistics for 2006 – 2010.]

**DNR**

West Virginia Antlered Deer Gun Harvest, 2006-2010

County

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010



Barbour

1527

1380

1413

1307

860



Brooke

479

386

427

377

333



Hancock

447

361

357

339

302



Harrison

1810

1508

1680

1730

1054



Marion

1443

1114

1489

1183

801



Marshall

1648

1126

1339

1321

1091



Monongalia

1953

1474

1927

1536

1108



Ohio

505

438

485

412

405



Preston

2616

2309

2618

2122

2030



Taylor

903

724

808

727

498



Tucker

1020

974

951

874

747



Wetzel

1926

1767

2210

1474

944



Dist. I Subtotal

16,277

13,561

15,704

13,402

10,173



Berkeley

924

973

855

651

656



Grant

1544

1733

1531

1228

914



Hampshire

1949

2223

2153

1634

1261



Hardy

2178

2111

2046

1601

1350



Jefferson

713

657

605

461

488



Mineral

1388

1420

1383

1158

883



Morgan

845

953

806

573

485



Pendleton

1850

1698

1416

1257

884



Dist. II Subtotal

11,391

11,768

10,795

8,563

6,921



Braxton

1308

2005

1731

1891

992



Clay

399

551

540

552

355



Lewis

1778

1952

2027

2227

1141



Nicholas

991

1216

1082

1176

841



Pocahontas

1410

1277

1223

1346

1056



Randolph

1862

1968

2126

1930

1817



Upshur

1432

1517

1536

1383

1059



Webster

796

929

887

901

806



Dist. III Subtotal

9,976

11,415

11,152

11,406

8,067



Fayette

873

1101

905

896

727



Greenbrier

2143

2204

1925

1976

1348



McDowell

0

0

0

0

0



Mercer

662

820

537

604

363



Monroe

1886

2150

1431

1569

1012



Raleigh

651

842

577

706

440



Summers

944

1282

932

931

526



Wyoming

0

0

0

0

0



Dist. IV Subtotal

7,159

8,399

6,307

6,682

4,416



Boone

495

676

577

628

454



Cabell

683

947

787

695

488



Kanawha

1025

1395

1259

1257

887



Lincoln

832

1126

983

860

740



Logan

0

0

0

0

0



Mason

2067

2154

1892

2099

1264



Mingo

0

0

0

0

0



Putnam

1051

1401

1311

1065

793



Wayne

837

898

768

880

503



Dist. V Subtotal

6,990

8,597

7,577

7,484

5,129



Calhoun

1039

1163

1252

1124

565



Doddridge

1328

1227

1605

1416

765



Gilmer

1182

1401

1585

1398

670



Jackson

2122

2081

1948

2504

1216



Pleasants

588

398

630

531

351



Ritchie

2147

1564

2369

2010

1236



Roane

1691

1873

2010

2112

1066



Tyler

1429

1125

1590

1210

845



Wirt

919

1006

1186

1265

693



Wood

1877

1635

1655

1879

1113



Dist. VI Subtotal

14,322

13,473

15,830

15,449

8,520



State Total

66,115

67,213

67,365

62,986

43,226









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Ruger SR 40

I just put down a deposit for a new Ruger SR 40. I am now anxious to get the gun.  I was considering the SR 9, but wanted a little more power and all of a sudden the 40 was announced.

I will have a complete review posted here soon.

Hate Snow ? Something to Ponder

I already hear numerous folks are complaining about the recent snowfall.  No one is looking forward to another winter like 09-10.

I spent about seventeen years living in areas; where snow was a rarity.  Be careful what you wish for and ask yourself which is better:  Snow or forty degrees and rain from Thanksgiving til Easter.